Compact sealed and shielded connector

ABSTRACT

A connector ( 10 ) is connected to the front end of a cable ( 11 ) in a compact connection that provides electrical shielding and a water-tight seal. The connector has a metal main sleeve ( 30 ) with a rear end ( 64 ) having circular crimps ( 38,39 ). One crimp ( 39 ) is made against the cable insulator ( 16 ) to provide a water-tight seal and the other ( 38 ) is made to the cable shielding braid ( 35 ) to ground the main sleeve. The main sleeve has a front portion with a crimp ( 37 ) that crimps against an elastic seal ring ( 25 ) lying in a groove ( 23 ) in an insulative body ( 20 ) that has contact-holding passages ( 60 ).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Applicant claims priority from German patent application 102004018430.5filed Apr. 6, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electrical and mechanical connectingarrangement comprising a preferably multi-wire cable and a cylindricalconnector part in the form of a plug or socket.

In prior connecting arrangement, the connector part is held with itsrear hollow end, which is remote from the plugging region, on a radiofrequency cable by means of a crimped connection. The front end of theplug connector part has an insulating part lying about a socket or plugcontact and, on the outside, a shielding contact. With such plugconnector parts, the individual components of the plugging region aregenerally connected to one another and to a hollow housing, in whoserear end the cable is inserted, by means of screw fittings and/orlatching connections. Such connections are relatively complex in termsof production and assembly. In addition, such connections require arelatively large amount of space.

One object of the present invention to provide an electrical andmechanical connecting arrangement of the type mentioned above, in whichthe connection between the insulated cable and the plugging region issimplified for assembly and can be used in connecting arrangementshaving a small physical size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention a compact, simple,and easily assembled cable connector is provided that can be assembledeven on the end user's premises. The connector is assembled in a simplemanner to a cable by crimping of front and rear end portions of a metalmain sleeve, which forms a protective housing. The main sleeve rearposition is crimped to the cable insulation to seal against it, and iscrimped against a metal shield of the cable to ground the main sleeve.The main sleeve front portion is crimped against an elastic seal in agroove of a contact holding insulative body at the connector front endto seal against it.

Further details of the invention are described in the description belowin which the invention will be described and explained in more detailwith reference to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing,in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded and sectional isometric view of a connector of thepresent invention and of a cable.

FIG. 2 is a sectional isometric view of the connector and cablecombination of FIG. 1, shown in an assembled state.

FIG. 2A is a partial sectional view showing connection of the mainsleeve to a metal shield of the cable.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a part of a crimping tool for achieving aconnecting arrangement in a variant relating to FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an essentially cylindrical connecting arrangement 10 whichextends in front F and rear R directions along an axis A and whichconnects a multi-conductor cable 11 to a plugging or connect region 13of a connector 14. The cable has individual wires 12 that have wireinsulation, and each wire has a bared front end connected to a contact18. FIG. 1 shows five wires and contacts.

The wires 12 of the cable are surrounded by cable insulation 16. Theconnector 14 has a two-part insulating body 20 that receives thecontacts, including a rear bushing part 17 and a body front sleeve 21that latches to the rear bushing part. As shown in FIG. 2, the contacts18 are held in passages 60 in the body so the contacts cannot bedisplaced axially, and with their free front mating ends 19 being freeto mate to other contacts. The contact front ends lie within theprotruding insulating sleeve 21. Such an insulating body 20 may insteadbe provided with socket contacts.

The two-part insulating body 20 is surrounded by a metallic, steppedconnecting sleeve 22. The connecting sleeve can instead be provided witha front region having a smaller diameter and with outer threads or abayonet connection part, for mechanical connection to a matingsocket/plug connector device. The connecting sleeve 22 has a front endface 27 that bears against a shoulder 28 of the insulating sleeve 21 ofthe body. The largest diameter rear portion 62 of the connecting sleeve22 has a knurled outside for gripping.

The insulating body 20 has a front end region which accommodates thefront ends of the contacts 18 and a rear end region that receives theinsulated wires 12 and/or the contact rear ends. The body 20 has twoaxially spaced annular grooves 23 and 24, which each holds anelastomeric, or elastic seal in the form of an O-ring 25, 26. In onevariant (not shown), the two O-rings 25, 26 are replaced by a sealingcollar.

A stainless steel metal main sleeve 30, having thin walls, is pushedover the cable 11. The main sleeve has a rear end with an outwardannular flange 31. The main sleeve front end portion has two outwardflanges 32, 33. The main sleeve 30 extends from its rear region 64 whichhas a small diameter and which surrounds the cable 11 to its front endportion 66 which has a large diameter. The insulating body 20 fits inthe main sleeve front end portion and the connecting sleeve 22 fitsaround the main sleeve front end portion, or front end.

In the embodiment illustrated, the cable 11 has a shielding braid, orshield 35 (FIG. 2A). When cable insulation 16 is removed, it exposes thebraided metal cable shield 35. The shield 35 is folded backward around acup-shaped conductive metal tube 34 that has been slid onto the exposedshield.

The main sleeve 30 acts as a mechanical and electrical shield. Itprovides a mechanically fixed connection and seal, against the cableouter insulation 16 at a crimp 39. It also provides an electricalconnection with the braided metal cable shield 35 of the cable 11. Thecable shield 35 is maintained at a constant potential (usually ground)and the electrical connection keeps the main sleeve 30 at groundpotential to better shield the wires and contacts from electromagneticinterference. The two elastomeric, or elastic seals in the form ofO-rings 25, 26 (FIG. 2) are fitted over the insulating body 20 ingrooves 23, 24. The insulating sleeve 21 of the body is moved rearwardinto the rear bushing part 17 of the body and latched to the bushingpart. At that time the connecting sleeve 22 has been fitted over theinsulating sleeve 21 and lies against its shoulder 28.

To install the front end of the main sleeve, a spring basket 36 isinstalled around the main sleeve 30, between the two annular flanges 32,33. As shown in FIG. 1, the spring basket has a continuous ring part 70and a plurality of finger parts 72 projecting primarily parallel to theaxis A but at inclines to the axis. The main sleeve front end liesaround the bushing part 17 (FIG. 2) of the insulative body. The O-rings25, 26 press outward against the main sleeve and inward against a rear,part of the body 20. This results in both an electrical and mechanicallyfrictional connection between the metal main sleeve 30 and the metalconnecting sleeve 22, and (after crimping) a water-tight seal betweenthe main sleeve and the body 20.

In this position, three 360° circumferential crimps at 37, 38, and 39are made on the outside of the metal main sleeve 30. The first crimpingconnection 37 is made for the purpose of connecting the main sleeve 30to the insulating body 20. The connection is made, in the region of theannular groove 23, which lies rearward of the connector sleeve 22 andwhich contains the O-ring 25. A radially inward part 47 of the crimpdeforms the O-ring 25 and partially engages walls of the annular groove23. As a result, a mechanical connection of the main sleeve 30 to therear part 16 of the insulative body is achieved which is moisture-tight.Owning to the high level of friction between the main sleeve 30 and theO-ring 25, a connection is also achieved which is fixed againstrotation.

The second crimp 39 at the rear portion of the main sleeve forms agroove in the main sleeve 30 close to the annular flange 31. Theresulting inward deformation 49 compresses the insulating sheath 16 ofthe cable 11. As a result, a connection is achieved which ismoisture-right, which is mechanically resistant to tensile stress, andwhich is fixed against rotation.

A third crimp 38 in the rear portion of the main sleeve is made aroundthe cup-shaped metal sleeve 34 and the turned-back shielding braid 35.FIG. 2A shows that this produces an inward deformation 48 of the metalmain sleeve 30 which clamps onto the shielding braid 35 that lies on theoutside of the metal tube 34. The metal tube 34 is required to maintainthe force of the crimp against the braid. The result is that the mainsleeve 30 provides electromagnetic shielding of the cable wires 12 (FIG.2) from which the shielding braid has been stripped, and providesshielding of the connection region of the wires 12 to the plug contacts18 in the insulating body 20. The crimping transfers the shielding ofthe cable to the main sleeve 30, and from the main sleeve through thespring basket 36 to the connecting sleeve 22 and to any mating connectordevice.

In the drawing, the groove-like deformations 47, 48, and 49 of thecrimping connections 37 to 39 are of identical design; that is, theheight of the deformations 47 to 49 which protrude radially inwards, isthe same over the entire inner circumference. In one embodiment which isnot illustrated in detail, the deformations 37 to 39 are such that theyhave a maximum height or a minimum height at two diametrically oppositeregions. In other words, in each case over a range of 180°, thedeformations 27 and 29 are, with respect to their height (radialdimension), in the form of a sickle, or half of a sine wave, when viewedin the axial direction, such that they extend from a height close to orequal to zero over a maximum height and again to a height close to orequal to zero.

The illustrated configuration of the bead-like deformations 27 to 29 aremade with a crimping tool 40, which is illustrated schematically andonly partially in FIG. 3, and which comprises two half-shells 41. Eachhalf-shell 41 has on its inside, a shaping projection 42, which pointsradially inwards. The shaping projection has a radial height that variesfrom zero to a maximum value, and to a value close to or equal to zero,i.e. is in the form of a sickle or sine wave when viewed axially.

This configuration of the two tool half-shells 41 has the advantage atthe point where the two tool half-shells 41 meet one another radially,i.e. in the separation plane, no deformation of the metal sleeve 30 isbrought about during the crimping operation in the axial direction.

Owing to the design or the connection described, a structurally verysmall connecting apparatus 10 is achieved which has, for example, amaximum diameter at the connecting sleeve of approximately 15 mm and alength from the front end of the closure sleeve 21 to the rear end 31 ofthe metal main sleeve 30 of approximately 55 mm.

Mention should also be made of the fact that this connecting arrangementcan also be used in the case of single-conductor or wire cables, inparticular in the case of coaxial cables.

Thus, the invention provides a compact and easily assembled electricalconnector for connecting to a cable. A metal main sleeve has a rearportion with a circumferential first rear crimp that presses against thecable outer insulation. The main sleeve rear portion has a second rearcrimp that presses against a cable shield to ground (keep at a constantpotential) the main sleeve. The main sleeve has a front portion with acircumferential crimp that projects into a groove in an insulative bodyand compresses an elastic seal in the groove. The main sleeve frontportion also carries a spring basket that electrically connects to ametal connecting sleeve that surrounds the main sleeve front end.

1. An electrical connector for a cable that has an insulative cablesheath and at least one wire, wherein the connector has at least onecontact connected to a front end of the wire, and wherein the connectorincludes an insulative contact-holding body with at least one passagethat receives the contact, including: a metal main sleeve that has arear portion that surrounds a front end of the cable sheath and that hasa front end that surrounds at least part of said contact-holding body;said main sleeve rear portion being crimped to the insulative cablesheath to form a main sleeve crimp thereat, and said main sleeve havinga front portion that is crimped around said contact-holding body to forma main sleeve crimp thereat.
 2. The connector described in claim 1wherein: said crimp of said main sleeve to said insulative cable sheathand to said contact-holding body are each in the form of a groove thatextends completely around the main sleeve.
 3. The connector described inclaim 1 wherein said connector has an axis and wherein: saidcontact-holding body has a radially outwardly opening groove and saidcrimp of said main sleeve front portion extends onto said groove.
 4. Theconnector described in claim 3 including: an elastomeric seal ring thatlies in said groove and that is compressed by said crimp of said mainsleeve front portion.
 5. The connector described in claim 1 wherein saidconnector has an axis and wherein: at least one of said crimps extendsaround said axis and varies in depth around said axis, with at least twoparts at diametrically opposite sides of said axis which are of minimumdepth.
 6. The connector described in claim 5 wherein: said at least oneof said crimps varies sinusoidally in depth with position around saidaxis.
 7. The connector described in claim 1 wherein said cable has ametal cable shield and including a metal tube lying about said cableshield, said cable shield having a wrapped-backward shield front endportion that is wrapped backward around said metal tube, and wherein:said main sleeve rear portion has a third circumferential crimp thatforms a bead that presses against said cable shield wrapped backwardfront portion, to thereby ground the main sleeve when the cable shieldis grounded.
 8. An electrical connector with an axis, and a cable with acable front end connected to the connector, the cable having at leastone wire with a front end and including at least one contact connectedto said wire front end, the connector having an insulativecontact-holding body with at least one passage that receives the contactand the connector having a metal main sleeve that has a main sleevefront portion that surrounds at least part of said body, wherein: saidmain sleeve front portion forms a radially inward circumferential crimpthat holds said main sleeve front portion to said body, said body havinga circumferentially extending groove and said crimp forming a bead thatextends into said groove.
 9. The connector described in claim 8including: an elastic seal ring lying in said circumferential groove ofsaid insulative body, said radially inner circumferential crimp in saidmain sleeve front portion compresses said elastic seal.
 10. Theconnector described in claim 8 wherein said cable has a metal shieldwith an exposed portion and said main sleeve has a main sleeve rearportion that surrounds at least a portion of said exposed portion ofsaid shield, including: a metal tube lying around said shield and saidshield being folded rearward around said tube; said main sleeve rearportion has an inward crimp that lies against said exposed portion ofsaid shield and that deforms said shield tube inwardly.
 11. Theconnector described in claim 8 including: a metal connecting sleevelying at a front of said connector, said connecting sleeve having a rearportion that surrounds said front portion of said main sleeve: a metalspring basket that includes a ring part and a plurality of finger partsprojecting primarily parallel to said axis but at radial inclines tosaid axis from said ring part, said main sleeve front portion having abasket-holding groove that holds said spring basket, with said springpressing against walls of said basket-holding groove and against aninner surface of said connecting sleeve.